The Singing Frog
by lickitysplit
Summary: Set during VDT, after they leave the Lone Islands, but before the storm and Dragon Eustace. Lucy, Edmund, Caspian, Eustace, and Reepicheep come upon an island whose inhabitants have an unusual problem.
1. Chapter 1

**Story Summary: **Caspian, Edmund, Lucy and the others encounter a new island whose inhabitants have an unusual problem. This is set during VDT, after they leave the Lone Islands, but before the storm and Dragon Eustace.

* * *

It was two weeks since the ship had left the Lone Islands before land was sighted again. The call went up from the lookout post, and Lucy and Reepicheep stopped the game they were playing to run to the side of the ship for a look. It was a rather small island, with huge green mountains and a pretty little bay area on the southern end. "We best see who, if anyone, lives here," said Caspian.

"And besides," added Drinian, "we should fill up on water while we still can. There is no telling when we'll find land again."

The next day, the ship pulled into the bay and the men let down the anchor a few hundred meters from shore. A little party was sent out, including Caspian, Lucy, Edmund, and Reepicheep. Eustace had also decided to come along, partly because he was still hoping to find the British Consul's office, but mostly because he wanted to be off the ship and stretch his legs, even if it was just for a few hours. After their lesson in the Lone Islands, Caspian also brought along Drinian and about a dozen soldiers, all armed. They unfurled the Narnian standard and the men rowed the little boats to shore.

There was only a very short stretch of beach before a forest began. Edmund warned that they should not wander through an unknown forest, especially if it would be dark in a few hours, so the party began walking around the perimeter to see if they could find any signs of life. They had been walking for what to Eustace felt like hours (it was really only about ninety minutes) when Lucy exclaimed, "I say! Do you all see that? That little road there?" Now that she was pointing it out, they could indeed: a little path, leading from the beach through an opening in the trees. There were even grooves along the sides, as though a cart had been pulled through there. "Excellent eye, Lu," said Edmund.

"If there's a road, there must be people," said Caspian. "Let's follow and see where it leads." (Eustace, of course, was against this idea, saying that any people who had built such a shoddy road ought not to be bothered with at all. His idea was quickly vetoed by the others.)

They followed the road for quite some time, but before long, dusk was coming on and the road still stretched as far as they could see. "If it pleases your Majesties," said Drinian, "I think it's best if we camped here for the night, and continued on when there is light again."

This idea was agreed upon by all, and they began to set up tents and gather wood and all of the other business that goes along with arranging a camp for nearly two dozen people. Lucy was especially pleased, for one of the men found a little brook only a little bit of a ways into the wood, and she managed to have a good washing up before supper. It was a cheery little party that evening, and everyone was in good spirits when it was time to go to sleep. Drinian set up a guard just in case, and they all settled into their tents for the night.

Lucy was very excited, and thought that she would not be able to sleep. She always enjoyed sleeping out-of-doors, and had on many occasion when visiting the Nymphs and Fauns in the Great Forest while she was queen. The trees around the road had been well cleared, so she could still see the stars when she looked up. She tried not to think of Edmund, who was sharing a tent with Eustace and probably having a horrid time of it, and eventually, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

They had not retired for more than an hour or two when suddenly the most horrible sound filled the air. Imagine the low horn of a ship, but so loud you could not hear a person standing right next to you. Now imagine that noise coming from all directions, completely surrounding you, and reverberating so much that your insides shook. You can see why the entire company sprang up at once. They began to shout at one another, but of course it was impossible to hear anything over the sound, so they had to use hand signals and gestures to communicate. Eventually they were able to figure out that everyone was still there, safe and sound, but no one knew where the noise was coming from.

The men grabbed branches to use as torches, and Lucy tried to keep close to Edmund. Eustace was sitting outside of his tent, his arms folded. His mouth was moving, but he did not seem to realize that whatever he was shouting at them could not be heard over the noise.

No one could see into the darkness of the wood, so Drinian sent three small parties to investigate. They returned very shortly, and signaled that they did not see anything or anyone nearby. Caspian, Edmund, and Drinian were trying to form a new plan when Lucy felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Eustace. He handed her his little notebook, and on the next page he had written: _What's that horrible noise? What's going on?_

Lucy shrugged and shook her head. _Are they going to make it stop?_ Eustace scribbled on the pad. Lucy tried to explain to him that they were making a plan, but she did not think that her gestures worked very well, for Eustace finally just stomped off and sat in a heap in front of his tent again.

She considered going to keep him company for a moment, but then decided to sit up by the fire. It was getting to that part of the night where the air had a crisp chill. Lucy sat on a stump and watched the flames, listening to the strange noise. It was very peculiar: sometimes it would go up a note, sometimes down, but it was always just as loud, sometimes so loud she thought she would break in half. But it also struck Lucy that the sound was very sad, like some gigantic beast that was crying.

After a while Lucy started to hum along with the noise, trying to match each tone. Eventually, she was able to figure out the pattern and sang along to herself. And it was then that it struck her that she _knew_ the song. Something in the back of her mind sparked, and she hummed it again to herself. She tried desperately to think of the words, but they were just beyond her grasp. She could see her mother on the piano, with Susan standing next to her, singing . . .

Suddenly, Lucy had it. She jumped up and ran as quickly as she could where the others were sitting. Since they weren't able to talk, it was proving very difficult to formulate any sort of plan, so they had agreed to just wait the noise out until the morning. The noise, unfortunately, was so loud that none of them could even think of sleep, so Caspian and Edmund and the others were simply sitting together, looking around blankly.

Lucy grabbed Edmund's arm and pulled him very close. Edmund gave a little "oof" at the sudden jerk, but then Lucy cupped her hand around his ear, and bellowed as loud as she could that the noise was a song. He turned and looked at her. "Song?" he mouthed.

Lucy nodded. "What song?" he asked her.

She tried to tell him, but Edmund just shook his head. She looked around, frustrated, and then got an idea. She picked up a leaf that had fallen on the ground and pointed to it.

"Leaf?" he mouthed.

Lucy shook her head and pointed again. Caspian and Drinian, who were sitting next to Edmund, began to guess as well. "Tree?—Stem?—Fall?—Plant?" Poor Lucy soon became so exasperated with their wrong guesses that she practically stomped her foot. Finally, Caspian said, "Green?"

Lucy nodded vigorously. She dropped the leaf and began to gesture to her arms, sliding one hand from shoulder to wrist. "Arm!—Skin!—Shirt!" the guesses began, but Edmund knew right away what she was saying. He held up his hands for Lucy's attention. "Greensleeves?" he mouthed very succinctly. Lucy smiled and clapped her hands. She pointed to her ear, as if she wanted him to listen, which Edmund did. Not the song exactly, but close enough, he decided.

The song went on throughout the night. It finally stopped just before dawn. The moment it ended, there was a great silence that lay heavily on the forest. Then all at once the men began to cheer, despite their tiredness. Needless to say, no one had slept a wink that night.

The next decision was whether to move on or stay. "It's no good walking," Eustace announced. "We're all too tired to go. Would you have us walk down that dratted road as we each nod off?"

"But Eustace," Edmund said patiently, "if we sleep here all day, then we'll be up again all night if the noise comes back. And we can't go marching through an unknown wood at night." There were mixed feelings among the group, but finally it was decided that they should move on, even if it was just for a little while. The camp was packed up and within an hour they had taken up the march again. Lunch was a quiet and tired affair, and Eustace wasn't the only one grumbling as they walked through the afternoon.

Lucy was beginning to wonder if walking hadn't been a mistake when suddenly the forest stopped. The road continued to wind through a field, and then led into a town. All were very excited to see the buildings, and they picked up their pace. The horns were blown, and the herald cried, "The Kings of Narnia have come! Make way for their Majesties!" The party marched down the road and right into town, but to their surprise, it was completely deserted.

Drinian ordered the call again, so the horns were resounded. As the herald began his speech, a droopy-looking man stepped out of one of the buildings and shouted, "What's all this racket? Don't you have any decency? People are trying to sleep!"

"We are the king of Narnia," Caspian said. "Our ship landed here, and—"

"I don't care if you are king of a toadstool," the man barked back. "Now quit that racket!" And with that he promptly slammed the door shut.

The men drew their swords, but Reepicheep was at the door in a flash, banging on the wood and demanding justice in his tiny voice. The door was opened again, and the man began to yell, "Didn't I just—" But then he caught sight of the Mouse, and gave a great laugh. "What's this then?"—for you see, he had never seen a Talking Mouse before, let alone one who was dressed in his finest and ready to exact vengeance.

"You have insulted my lord and king, and in front of a great lady, you swine!" Reepicheep exclaimed. "Now take up your weapon and give me satisfaction!"

The man roared with laughter. "I must be dreaming after all! Wait until I tell the missus about this one, a mouse what can talk!" He looked closely at the party and said, "You are certainly dressed like great lords, although I never head of this Narnia you speak of. My apologies if I have insulted you or your—er—rodent, here. But you see, you shouldn't just stroll into the middle of town and blow your horns during the rest hours. Don't you know it'll be night again soon?"

Reepicheep was even more infuriated by being called a rodent, but Caspian told him to hold his temper, as he was anxious to get answers about this strange place. "Why do you sleep during the day?" Edmund asked. "Is it because of the horrible noise we heard last night?"

"Of course it's because of the noise, young sir. Who could sleep through that? We've had to rearrange our entire schedule to accommodate. Now we work at night, and sleep through the day—nothing but a bunch of owls we are, now!"

"But where does it come from?" asked Caspian.

The man pointed to the other end of the town. "Do you see, over there, the tree that stands there?" They all saw it, of course. It was a huge oak tree, one of the biggest they had ever seen. "There's something inside it that sings all night. We think it moved in and got stuck, and now it can't go back to its own home."

"Do you know what it is?" asked Caspian. "It must be a terrible beast to make such a sound!"

"Terrible beast?" said the man. "I don't know about that. It's actually a frog, you see."

"A frog!" they all exclaimed. "Haven't you found a way to root it out?" Drinian asked.

"Well, we've tried, but it's trapped inside, and no one can get in to take a good look."

"Are there others in this town?" Caspian asked.

"Of course there are others, but I'm guessing they're asleep, if we haven't woken them all already." The man looked up at the sky and said, "I'm sorry, but I must be getting back to bed. The frog will start singing again in a few hours, and I have a lot of work to do tonight. You are welcome to stay here if you'd like, but I would suggest you try to get some rest yourselves. Night will be upon us soon."

The thought of having another sleepless night was unsettling to them all, so they quickly set up camp again, in the middle of the town. They all fell asleep very easily.

But just as the man predicted, as soon as the moon had risen, the people of the town began to leave their homes, and things began to bustle as a busy town would. The people stopped to stare at the strange company, marveling at the Narnians: for you see, they did not have a king, or had seen such a noble group of people. The Narnians roused themselves as best as they could, and at the exact time as the night before, the singing began again, even louder than before.

The townspeople took pity on the Narnians and gave them some paper, so they were able to finally communicate with one another. _We'll leave the first thing_, Caspian wrote, and showed it to the others. But Lucy shook her head vigorously and wrote: _No! Shouldn't we help these poor people?_

_Why should we help them?_ Eustace wrote. _They all have such foul tempers._

_You would too if you hadn't gotten a proper night's sleep in months_, Edmund wrote back.

_My vote is to stay_, came Lucy's response. _We mustn't leave them to this terrible fate._

The conversation went like this for a good while, until finally Reepicheep jumped onto a boulder and called for their attention. He pointed very dramatically to Lucy, then pointed to the ground, and then placed his hand over his heart. Next, he pointed to himself. The Mouse then pretended to walk, and pointed at the great oak tree. Finally, he drew his sword, and brandished it through the air. With that, he removed his hat, and with great flourish, bowed low.

His message could not have been plainer. _I suppose that settles that_, Edmund wrote with a grin.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Much thanks to Dearheart, Squeak, Cherokee (H Max Marius), and Val for their help with the poetry!

* * *

Lucy, Caspian, and Reepicheep stood at the base of the great oak tree, staring. It stood at least twenty meters tall, and they could see no easy way to get inside. "This is certainly going to be more difficult than I thought," said Lucy in a small voice. 

They began circling the trunk, dodging the lower hanging branches, looking for any crack or way to get in. Reepicheep knocked on the wood here and there, but eventually he returned to their side and pronounced, "I don't believe it's any good at all, Your Majesties. There's no clear way inside."

"Oh dear," said Lucy, frowning. But at that moment, a voice came from inside the tree: not terribly loud, like the singing from the night before, but loud enough for all three to hear:

"_A king and queen  
I've never seen  
Standing before my tree;_

_Oh silly Mouse  
This is my house  
So please just leave me be."_

There was a shocked silence for a moment, but then Lucy exclaimed, "It really does sing!" The surprise of it made her giggle, and one can hardly blame her for that. But the look on Reepicheep's face made her quickly stifle it with her hand.

"By you leave, Sire," the Mouse said, "I ask to climb inside, and see this frog for myself. I have vowed to meet this frog and have him answer for his crimes."

"No, Reepicheep, you mustn't!" said Lucy. "Please don't. Perhaps the frog doesn't realize what he's doing. We should try to talk sense into him first."

"Besides," said Caspian. "The branches are too high for you to climb anyway." He went to the lowest one and pushed on it, trying to get a feel for its strength. "I think it's sturdy enough for me," he said, and pulled himself up.

"Do be careful!" Lucy called, as she and Reepicheep watched him climb. Caspian easily made his way up several more branches until he was a few meters above the ground. Lucy and Reepicheep watched anxiously as Edmund and Eustace came up next to them.

"What are we looking at?" Edmund asked, making Lucy jump. She pointed up at Caspian, who was leaning over a branch.

"He'll break his neck for sure," Eustace observed, causing Lucy to say, "Don't, Eustace! You shouldn't even say that!"

"Well, it's true," Eustace huffed. "The structure of that tree is very unstable. You'd know that if you had ever read any books about trees."

Edmund laughed. "Lucy may not have read many books about trees," he said, "but she was friends with a great many in Narnia." Eustace had no response to this, so he just scowled and watched Caspian climb. Lucy gave Edmund a smile of thanks.

"Do you see anything, Caspian?" Edmund shouted up to him.

"No," he called back. "The leaves are too thick up here!" The tree shook as he began his descent, and Caspian landed on the ground, just barely keeping his balance. He brushed the dirt and twigs from his clothes as he joined the others. "I couldn't get a good look," he said, a bit out of breath. "But there must be a way inside, if the frog managed it!"

"It'd be handy if your tree friends were around _now_, wouldn't it?" Eustace sneered at them, when again the voice came from within the tree:

"_A nasty tone  
I cannot condone  
For one who is so rude._

_This boy must learn  
To feel concern  
For that would be most shrewd."_

With that, Caspian and Edmund gave a great roar of laughter, and Lucy turned a bit pink, feeling very sorry for Eustace. Eustace, however, felt no embarrassment at all, and stalked over to the base of the tree. "Shut up, you!" he shouted. "You've no right!"

"Come now, Eustace," said Caspian. "It is only a frog, after all."

"I can't _abide_ the animals in this dratted place," Eustace moaned. "It isn't _natural_. The animals back in England are much better behaved." Reepicheep bristled at the remark, but Eustace ignored him and shouted at the tree, "You'll be sorry if I ever see you, you ridiculous frog!" He kicked the tree, but unfortunately for Eustace, the frog wasn't finished:

"_One mustn't insult  
For then the result  
May be one that he had not wanted;_

_So please go away  
Without further delay  
Before you are once again taunted."_

Poor Eustace became so upset that he could only splutter a response. Caspian and Edmund began to laugh again, but they quickly suppressed it with a stern look from Lucy. Lucy went to Eustace and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do be nicer to the poor dear, Eustace. You shouldn't insult him like that."

That was the final straw for the younger boy. Eustace turned on his heel and stormed away, heading back towards the town. The others watched him go. When he was out of sight, Edmund said, "Lucy, you know it's no use trying to talk to him. Eustace is only happy when he's being a brute."

Lucy sighed. "Eustace is having such a hard time of it. I wish that he could enjoy himself. After all, we are on such a wonderful adventure!"

"I would never wish to insult one who is related to such a great lady as you, Your Majesty," said Reepicheep. "But I would be hard pressed to believe that he is a part of a family as noble as yours if I had not been so told."

"Never mind him for now," said Caspian. "How should we go about getting this frog to stop singing every night?" They stood together for a while discussing the matter, but none could come up with an idea worth trying. Dinner time was nearing, so they walked together down to the town where the Narnians continued to camp. When they arrived, Drinian said to Caspian, "Sire, are we to spend another night here? Perhaps it would be best to take our leave and continue our quest."

"I'm sorry, Drinian," Caspian replied, "but Queen Lucy is set on solving this mystery, and I cannot deny her that right."

"Very well," said Drinian. "Since there is no present danger here (other than a great lack of proper sleep), I will send the men back to the ship with our supplies and word that all is well." Caspian agreed, and they said farewell to the men who left not an hour later.

The Narnians were invited to dine with the man they had met the day before. Gastor (for that was his name) was a very pleasant host when he wasn't woken from his sleep, and they enjoyed a cheerful meal. "Where's Eustace?" asked Lucy as they ate.

"Of sulking somewhere, I would expect," said Edmund. Gastor raised an eyebrow at the comment, so Edmund explained, "We went to see about the frog this afternoon, and he and Eustace had a bit of a disagreement."

"Ah," Gastor said. "Did the frog sing to him?"

"Yes!" said Lucy. "Does he always do that when people are near the tree?"

Gastor nodded. "He's been known to do that."

Eustace was, in fact, in his tent, his mind very far from eating. He sat scribbling in his notebook, trying to devise a plan to pay the frog back for his insults. He scowled when the loud singing began that night, but continued working. Lucy peeked in on him, but Eustace ignored her and continued to pore over his notes.

The next afternoon, Lucy and Edmund were back at the tree, deciding what the next step should be. "Perhaps we should just talk to him," Lucy finally said.

Edmund shrugged. "It's well worth a try, at least." They moved close to the tree. Edmund cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Hello there, Mr. Frog! You may not know this, but your singing is causing a lot of problems for us out here. Don't you think you ought to give it a bit of a rest, then?"

There was no answer, and Edmund and Lucy looked at each other. "Do you think he heard you?" Lucy asked. Edmund shrugged. But then a reply did come:

"_No need to shout,  
And have no doubt  
That I can hear all that you say._

_I sing for the fun  
I sing till the sun  
Turns all of the night into day._

_I'm here in this tree  
So I can be free  
And music's the gift that I give._

_I'll continue to croon  
With my lovely tune  
For that is the reason I live."_

Lucy knocked on the tree. "But Mr. Frog, sir, the people in the town cannot sleep when you do. Perhaps if you would sing quietly?"

Suddenly, the entire tree shook, and a great wail came from inside. Edmund thought quickly, and pulled Lucy back from the tree. Several branches shook off, and the two were covered in a shower of twigs and leaves. Then the frog's voice boomed:

"_Do not be so bold  
I'll not do as I'm told  
My song I cannot deny._

_Now leave me alone  
Return to your throne  
And for now, I say, 'Goodbye!'"_

"That was a bit rude, wasn't it?" Lucy said. Edmund was very red in the face, and he quickly counted to ten. Then, he shouted at the tree, "Listen here, frog, you will stop all this nonsense! We're trying to help you, and I won't stand for your cheek. Do you understand?"

They braced themselves, fully expecting another song to come from inside the tree. But they were met with silence. "Mr. Frog?" Lucy tried. "We didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I think your songs are rather nice. It's just the volume that we were hoping you'd reconsider."

Still no answer came. "Well, if you must sulk, then go right ahead!" said Lucy. Edmund looked at her in surprise. Lucy was not prone to such outbursts. "Don't be cross with me, Ed," she said to him. "He's acting completely foolish!"

They tried to speak with the frog some more, but he remained stubbornly silent. The sun was readying to set, and they had given up any hope of convincing him to stay quiet. "Another sleepless night," Edmund muttered. He was beginning to think the entire attempt was hopeless.

They were just about to leave when Eustace came huffing across the little field, stopping before the tree. "I have it!" he cried, waving his notebook in the air. "I know how to get that insufferable frog to stop!"

Lucy and Edmund looked at each other in surprise. Eustace being helpful was just too much for them to hope. "You aren't going to do anything terrible to him, are you?" Lucy dared to ask. Eustace simply grinned.


	3. Chapter 3

Eustace opened his notebook, which was clutched in his hand. He quickly began leafing through pages. "This tree here is an _oak_ tree. Which means it is completely solid inside, so the frog must be living up on one of the branches. The people in the town have it wrong: he's not in the tree, he's on the tree." He looked up at Lucy and Edmund. "You are following me so far, aren't you?"

"Yes, of course," said Edmund in exasperation. "But what is your point?"

Eustace puffed up and continued in his very superior way, "If it's living in a tree, then it must be a _Hyla aborea_." He paused. "Don't you know anything? The European tree frog."

"How do you know he is a European tree frog?" asked Lucy.

Eustace rolled his eyes. "Because it speaks English," he responded, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "And if you know anything at all about tree frogs, you would know that they each have a distinct call. That's why the frog likes to sing: it's looking for a mate!"

Edmund thought about this for a moment. "I don't know about this, Eustace. Even if you're right, how do we get him to stop singing?"

Eustace smiled. "Once we get it out of the tree, someone will have to kiss it. And since Lucy's the only girl . . ." He looked over at her.

Lucy giggled. "You want me to kiss a frog? Like in the stories?" She laughed again. "Do you suppose he'll turn into a prince if I do?"

Eustace frowned at her. "You wanted my help, didn't you? Then you shouldn't make fun! This is the only way." And with that, he snapped his notebook shut.

"I don't remember asking for his help, do you?" Edmund whispered to Lucy. But Lucy just stifled another laugh and said, "I suppose I_ could_ kiss him, if I had to. But first we need to get him out of the tree." The three of them looked up.

"We could set in on fire," Eustace said. "Or chop it down."

"Eustace!" Lucy cried in alarm, and Edmund said, "We are _not_ going to chop it down or set it on fire." Having known so many dryads in Narnia, such a thing was unthinkable for them. "Fine," Eustace grumbled. "I'd like to see if you can think of something better."

Edmund looked at Lucy. "If Eustace is right, then I suppose I ought to go up and take a look." He went to the lowest branch and heaved himself up. Lucy bit her lip, watching him climb.

"You'd never catch me doing such a thing," Eustace said to her.

"Come now, Eustace!" Edmund called down. "You shouldn't be scared of climbing a tree. It's not difficult!"

"I'm not scared!" Eustace shouted back. "I just think it's foolish to climb up so high!" They could hear Edmund's laughter floating down to them. "That's it then," Eustace muttered, and he began to climb as well.

"Be careful!" Lucy warned. Eustace wanted to holler something rotten back to her, but after getting only a few branches up the tree, he was already gasping and sweating.

Edmund leaned over the branch on which he was perched. "You can climb faster than that, can't you?"

"Do—stop—shaking—the—tree!" Eustace panted. He held on tightly to his branch, closing his eyes until the tree stopped moving.

"What does this thing look like, anyway?" Edmund asked.

"Very small," Eustace answered. His smug tone was gone as he concentrated on climbing. "Only four centimeters long. It'll be green, of course."

"That small?" Edmund marveled. "Imagine something that tiny making such a great noise! Are you sure, Eustace?"

Eustace did not answer. He had just caught sight of how very far up he was. It actually wasn't that far at all, and anyone who had ever climbed a tree before would have been very comfortable at that height. But Eustace had never been in a tree, and was suddenly terrified. He wrapped his arms and legs around the huge limb, and began to wail. "Get me down from here! I don't like it!"

"Eustace!" Lucy's voice rose up from the ground. "You're all right. Just drop down to the lower branch."

Eustace drew in a deep breath and bellowed, "Have you gone mad? I'm not dropping anywhere! The fall would kill me!"

"Don't be so silly, Eustace!" Lucy called back. "You're only a few meters from the ground!"

Edmund looked over, and through the leaves he could see Eustace clutching the tree tightly, holding on as if his life was depending on it (and in Eustace's mind, it was). "What a bother," he said to himself. "I suppose I'll have to get him down." He crawled along and easily stepped from branch to branch, until he was right next to Eustace. "Now Eustace, listen to me," Edmund said. "The branch below you is right there. Just put your foot down and step on it."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Eustace spat. "I'll put my foot down, all right, and find no branch at all! Maybe you think you'd all be better off if I fell to my death right now!"

"Don't be so ridiculous," Edmund sighed. "Grandmother could get down from here." He edged closer to the boy, which caused the tree to shake again. Eustace began to moan. "Stop doing that. The whole thing is going to come down!"

"If it was so unsafe," Edmund said, "then you shouldn't have come up here in the first place!" He swung over and landed lightly on Eustace's limb. "Now I'm right here. I'll hold on to you while you climb down. This way, if you fall, we both will."

Eustace looked up at him. After considering for a moment, he finally said, "All right then. But slowly. And try not to shake the tree, for heaven's sake!"

Gradually, Eustace edged off of his branch, and slipped down to the next one. Edmund stood there with him, giving instructions. "You're doing well, Eustace, you really are!" Lucy shouted up to him.

"Oh shut up," he groused. Edmund overheard him, and bounced on the limb, causing it to sway up and down. Eustace screeched and clutched the tree again. "Sorry there, Eustace," Edmund said. "My mistake." Eustace gave him a terrible look, but Edmund simply grinned.

Edmund was helping Eustace down to the next one when a flicker of movement caught his eye. He looked to the right, and there on a branch was a small green frog, watching them both with wide eyes. Edmund gave a yelp and jumped towards it, reaching out to catch the frog in his hand. He let go of Eustace at the same time, who lost his balance and began to flail about wildly. Eustace fell right out of the tree, landing on the ground in a heap.

Edmund lurched forward, just missing the frog, who hopped easily to the next branch. He could hear Eustace bellowing "You idiot! You've killed me!" from below, but he paid it no mind. Edmund scrambled after the frog. But the frog was simply too quick for him, and hopped up and away into the tree. Edmund was about to continue after it, but he could hear Eustace and Lucy arguing below, so he turned and climbed down instead.

Eustace was causing such a racket that Caspian and Reepicheep came running from the town. "What happened?" Caspian demanded. "Were you attacked?"

Lucy began to answer, but Eustace interrupted, "Yes, I was attacked, by that rotten Edmund. He threw me from the tree, and I nearly died!"

"That's utter nonsense," said Lucy. "You fell because you weren't paying attention. And you're not even hurt at all!"

Eustace scrambled to his feet. "If you had any sense, you'd see that my arm is broken, and probably my ankle as well." He began to limp about as if to prove the point. He looked so ridiculous that the others could not help but laugh at him. Eustace became so infuriated that he stalked off, and Lucy noticed that his limp changed from one foot to the other as he went.

"If Your Majesties would permit," said Reepicheep, who was watching Eustace go with a dark expression, "I could teach him not to speak to Her Grace in such a way!"

"It probably wouldn't do any good," said Caspian. "It'd just give him more to complain about."

Edmund came up next to them. "I almost had him, but no luck. He's much too fast." He looked around. "What happened to Eustace?" When they told him of his departure, he just shook his head. "I suppose I should go see if he's all right. I didn't mean to let go of him, but I wanted to get a hold of that frog." He and Caspian walked together back to the town, leaving Lucy and Reepicheep standing under the tree. Lucy sat down in the cool shade of the tree, leaning against the trunk. "Now we're no closer to solving this mystery," she said softly.

Reepicheep sat down next to her. "My queen, you have tried all you could, and no one would dare say otherwise. As a Mouse and a Knight, I would never admit defeat. But perhaps this is one problem with no solution."

"It's a shame, really," Lucy said. "He does have a lovely singing voice. It's just the volume! And he sings the same song every night. It'd be nice if he could learn a new one."

"There was a song my auntie used to sing," said Reepicheep. "It was the loveliest song I ever heard!" There was a long pause, and then to Lucy's surprise, the Mouse began to sing:

"_The long cold nights of winter  
And the days of snow and frost  
The wind howls through the evergreen trees  
And the sun seems all but lost._

_It sometimes seems the springtime  
Will never come again  
But rest assured the sun will return  
And winter soon will wane._

_The ice comes down  
The world is cold  
And shadows cover all  
That's when springtime will make its return  
And the birds will start to call._

_When all seems lost  
Do not be afraid;  
The springtime will come again."_

Reepicheep's little voice faded away. "That is beautiful," breathed Lucy. Reepicheep bowed. "Will you sing it again for me?" Reepicheep nodded, unable to deny a queen such a request. He began to sing, and Lucy joined in during the second verse. When it was over, Lucy closed her eyes and sighed. "I'll remember that song forever," she said.

Suddenly, she felt something plop into her lap. She looked down, and to her utter amazement, a little frog was there, staring up at her. Lucy sat up straight, and gently lifted the frog so that they were eye to eye. "Are you our singing frog?" she asked softly.

The frog nodded. Reepicheep, who stood next to Lucy, said to her, "I have sworn to Her Majesty that I would do away with this frog if given the chance. But now that the moment has arrived—I could not call myself a true knight of Narnia and strike a creature so small."

Lucy smiled up at him. "It is the mark of a true knight to care for those that are smaller than he." She turned her attention back to the frog. "Did you come down because of our song?" The frog nodded again. "You may use it, if you'd like."

At this, the frog shook his head. "No," the frog said, his voice very deep and sad. "I see now that I am not the only creature in this world who loves song. I thought I would share the gift with everyone, but I see that it is in the hearts of even those who aren't lucky enough to be frogs." He dipped down, in what Lucy assumed must be the way a frog would bow. "I am off now, to seek my adventures elsewhere. Please give my apologies to those I have offended."

"Even though you're not a prince in disguise," said Lucy, "I'd like to give you a kiss, just the same." The frog bowed, and Lucy planted a kiss on his cheek. Then he jumped off of Lucy's palm. They watched as he scampered away.

Lucy and Reepicheep returned to the village with the good news. "You mean you let him get away?" Eustace bemoaned. He was sitting in Gastor's house, his leg propped up on pillows, and a bandage wrapped around his head. "You should have brought him back here. We could have had him for supper."

"At least this means we can move on," said Caspian. "We have much more to explore."

"We're leaving this dratted island?" Eustace exclaimed, jumping up at the thought. "Let's go now!" He saw the looks that the others were giving him, and folded his arms. "I _was_ hurt, you know," he snapped at them, and limped out of the house.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this little story. It was great fun to write, and I do love Eustace, even though he had a tough time in this one. 

For those readers who are frog enthusiasts, I realize that the European tree frog is not native to the British Isles. I figured that even know-it-alls get their facts wrong sometimes.


End file.
